In The World Was Our Stage, producer/director Doug Wilson recounts his incredible fifty-year journey with ABC Sports and it’s beloved sports anthology program ABC’s Wide World of Sports. His natural storytelling style and entertaining anecdotes capture not only “the human drama of athletic competition”—the hallmark of ABC’s coverage—but also the unforgettable golden era of sports television.

Wilson’s career spanned nearly all of the show’s groundbreaking run from 1961 through 1998, and his personal perspectives on the celebrated athletes and historical events of the last half of the twentieth century are both humorous and poignant. The World Was Our Stage reflects the spirit of the sporting world and the wonders of modern technology as they merged on television and set the standard for sports programming in the twenty-first century.

Winner – Sports Category National Indie Excellence Book Awards 2014

Finalist – Sports Category 2014 USA Best Book Awards

Finalist – Sports and History CategoriesForeword Reviews’ Book of the Year Awards 2013

Endorsements

Doug Wilson revisits a time when ABC’s Wide World of Sports was must-see TV every weekend for millions of Americans. If some of these stories seem made up—trust me—they’re not. I was there for many of them and would walk away thinking, ‘You can’t make this stuff up.'” It was great fun to witness and just as much fun to read about.

Al Michaels

ABC Sports and Wide World of Sports not only changed but also virtually created the sports television landscape in the US and set the standard by which sports coverage around the world is now measured. They had the vision to put the King/Riggs Battle of the Sexes match in prime time and it paid off for them and for Bobby and me, and it raised the profile of tennis worldwide—all while putting social change in the national spotlight. ABC Sports was a game changer and they fully understood the importance of bringing sports to the people.

Billie Jean King

Sports icon and humanitarian; Cofounder, World Team Tennis

Doug Wilson tells a fascinating story in The World Was Our Stage, a unique personal journey that also recalls the riveting history of the coming-of-age of sports television. Doug is one of the finest and kindest gentlemen to ever work in the business, and it’s a delight to go back in time with him as he spans the globe once more to tell the stories that he and his colleagues first told so magnificently decades ago. In Doug’s storytelling, it truly still is a wide, and wonderful, world of sports.

Christine Brennan

As Olympic athletes, we always cherished ABC’s Wide World of Sports for exposing sports like gymnastics to a much wider audience than our sport ever enjoyed before. Doug Wilson, who has been a friend for over thirty years, has always delighted us with his behind-the-scenes stories about this groundbreaking sports television show. We are thrilled that Doug has finally decided to share these incredible stories from the award-winning show that represented a paradigm shift in sports television.

Nadia Comaneci and Bart Conner

Olympic and World champions in gymnastics

Doug Wilson’s sensitivity and his passion for ‘getting it right’ from the perspective of the athlete continue to define his amazing contributions to television. I love this book, and I couldn’t put it down.

Dick Button

In addition to all of the interesting and entertaining stories Doug Wilson tells with firsthand knowledge of the people and events that shaped ABC Sports, there is a great deal of history in this book. Not only is there plenty of sports history but also the history of the sports television industry from an insider point of view.

The World Was Our Stage should be required reading for every student of broadcasting. What is documented in this book is critical for understanding the origins of this industry.

Jim Jennett

Emmy Award-winning sports television director

Along with my father, Jim McKay, Doug Wilson was in many ways the heart and soul of ABC Sports. Doug’s passion for his craft and his remarkable creativity are surpassed only by his storytelling ability, both on television and in print. The World Was Our Stage is a fascinating and compassionate behind-the-scenes look at many of the greatest sports television stories and personalities of all time. My father would have loved this book, almost as much as he loved working with Doug.

Sean McManus

Chairman, CBS Sports

For 50 years, Doug Wilson embodied the spirit and creative excellence that was ABC Sports. His passionate storytelling played an integral part in the success of Wide World of Sports, the longest and most celebrated sports anthology show in television history. Doug allowed the places, events, and athletes to always be in the story. This book relives the lost age of innocence in sports and chronicles its greatest athletes, ‘up close and personal.’ I was fortunate to produce many of the world’s greatest sporting events with Doug, and for that I am grateful.